Bad Water

Bad Water in Death Valley National Park is the lowest point in the United States at -279 feet below Sea Level.  Despite its name, it is mostly a salt flat running 5 miles in width and 7.5 miles in length.  

Given it physical status as the lowest point, it is natural to assume that water does accumulate here.  Most of it lies below the top layer of salt in the form of mud, but a small amount is visible on the surface as seen in this first image.

The Salt flats consist of a thin layer of salt and a thicker layer of mud underneath. My previous visits to Death Valley were not preceded by any significant rainfall, and the salt flats were quite dry.  You can see in the image below (taken on one of those previous visits) how the salt has contracted to form these odd geometric shapes.  

This past November saw a larger than normal rainfall (in fact they had some significant road damage).  The salt flats looked quite different ... the patterns in the previous image had been eliminated and a new layer of salt lay on the surface.  And, under that layer of salt was a very muddy base which stuck to my shoes when I broke through the crust. 

This black and white image was taken looking South and is my favorite of those taken at Bad Water this year.

Zabriskie Point

Another favorite spot to photograph is Zabriskie Point.  It is best shot in the early morning.  I've always arrived before sunrise to catch those first red rays as they hit any of the thin layer of clouds that are often there.

Zabriskie Point looks over the unique formation of "hills" you see in the next image.  No direct rays of sun are hitting the formations.  They're a glow from the pink light reflected back to earth from the clouds.  It is a very magical light.

Another view taken a little later.  The quality of the light has changed and with it, the scene.

This formation is called "The foot".  It is located "off-screen" just to the left in  the image above.  Ansel Adam's has taken a well-known image of it.

These formations are lit by the first direct rays of light giving them a different look.

I'll end this post with a sepia-toned, black and white version of the scene.  By the way, the flats you see between the two ranges of "hills" in the middle of the image is Bad Water!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at two interesting, famous places to visit in Death Valley!

Adam